Crowded roads and costly petrol do not seem to have dampened the desire of drivers to take their car out for a spin.

A majority of motorists (55%) have given their vehicle a run without going anywhere in particular, an AA/Populus survey showed.

As many as 23% take their car out for a spin at least once a month, while 10% do it weekly, the poll of more than 20,000 AA members revealed.

Those living in Northern Ireland (72%), Scotland (63%) and north east England (63%) were most likely to have just gone for a drive, while those in London (47%) were least likely to have done so.

Men are more likely to have just driven (60%) than women (47%), as are younger drivers in the 18-24 age group (62%) compared with just 52% in the 45-54 age group.

The poll also showed that 13% of younger drivers took their vehicle for a spin at least once a week.

Also, semi-skilled or unskilled workers were more likely to just go for a drive than those in higher managerial professions.

AA president Edmund King said: "Despite cones, congestion, clamping and high costs, drivers' love affair with the car and driving continues.

"An AA survey in 1965 found that 80% agreed that 'driving is a real pleasure to me'. If anything, that love for the car has strengthened as an (earlier) AA/Populus poll found that 82% still enjoy driving.

"We hear stories that younger people are more interested in social media than driving but our poll seems to suggest that younger drivers are more likely to drive, just for the sake of it, than other drivers."